Jack of Fables #33Review

Share.

Jack, Bigby, and Snow White head out to confront the threat of the Literals.

By Jesse Schedeen

I think I've made it clear by now I'm not a huge fan of Jack of Fables, so the idea of a Fables crossover was less than appealing. The first issue of "The Great Fables Crossover" was good stuff, but it also largely played out like any normal issue of the series. As the crossover moves into Jack's realm, we get our first real indication of whether this new venture will thrive or just crash and burn.

A major reason I dislike Jack of Fables is Jack himself. He's an annoying braggart who did well to get himself booted out of the main series. So what better way for Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges to ingratiate anti-Jack readers than by having Bigby kick the stuffing out of him? It's certainly an auspicious start. Once satisfied that Jack got what was coming to him, I was able to settle in and, surprisingly enough, enjoy the story to a large extent. The writing quality of the series seems to have improved. It's difficult to say whether that's because Willingham has taken a more active role in scripting Jack of Fables for the duration, but I like to think his hand is at work here. Whatever the case, the series carries a certain sense of fun and whimsy I found lacking in my previous experiences.

Perhaps the worst thing that can be said about this issue is that it may come across as overwhelming to the unfamiliar. There are quite a few characters tossed out in the early pages. The concept of the Literals was never more than touched upon last week in Fables, so Willingham and Sturges have a bit of legwork to bring everyone up to speed. Luckily, the Literals do make for interesting villains, even outclassing the threat of Mr. Dark in some ways. Poor Paul Bunyan could certainly attest as much.

Russ Braun is no Mark Buckingham, unfortunately, but he does a respectable job with the pencils nonetheless. Braun is skilled at cramming large numbers of Fables on the page, a trait that comes in handy at times. His work is a bit lacking in pizazz compared to either Buckingham or cover artist Brian Bolland, but it certainly gets the job done.

I guess it's safe to say I'm fully on board this crossover now. If Willingham and Sturges can get me to tolerate Jack, the rest of the story should be smooth sailing.